Markus is a solid six foot with a fairly athletic build, perhaps a little less so and more &amp;quot;average&amp;quot; since the end of his military service. His hair ranges from short and blond on top to a Celtic red on his face in those instances when he sports a beard with blue eyes in between.

Markus is normally very well kept with military precision in his dress and grooming. He's not one to overdress in the type of clothing he wears, but he often will overdress in terms of the value of the clothing. Everything he wears tends to be new and high end (befitting his personal wealth). E.g. Markus would wear new designer clothes on a mission to slog through a swap. Perhaps it is unsurprising that nothing he owns tends to last very long and is quickly discarded and replaced rather than reworn stained.

Personality

A trained soldier, Markus is disciplined and lethal. Few horrors would make him bat an eye, and he has few qualms about using violence, even deadly force, if necessary. He was simply desensitized through his training and that was then amplified and reinforced by the war. It's nothing personal, and Markus is far from a saddist. He's quick to make the distinction that he merely enjoys the rush of a firefight, not the actual act of harming others. &amp;quot;Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.&amp;quot;

Despite his cold and brutal skillset, Markus is very much carefree and at times even inappropriately happy and enthusiastic (at least outwardly so). He smiles frequently especially during hardship and danger because Markus is not in it for the money. He has more of that than anyone could ever want. No, Markus is along for the ride and he is determined to try his best to have a good time on this &amp;quot;adventure&amp;quot;. Whether or not a crew desperate to live to see another day and another pay check would find this endearing or irritating is yet to be determined.

Markus is also highly educated and surprisingly bookish for someone who shoots guns for a living. When you've never really worked a day in your life (aside from carrying a gun around) you tend to have a lot of free time to read. That being said most of his knowledge is theoretical or obscure rather than practical.

Markus was born to a wealthy entrepreneurial family, the fourth of six children. The Fullertons were big in the bauxite mining business and associated aluminum refining and manufacturing. Markus grew up on a vast estate with servants and the like. Those early days were carefree, and he had everything he could have wanted growing up, except maybe perhaps more time with his parents. But the business came first of course, and if it meant a few missed birthdays then so be it.

When Markus was nine years old he left home for boarding school, Farragut Military Academy to be precise. He was the fourth child and in the long run there really was no place for him taking over part of the family business. It wouldn't do to have him loaf about or have some pointless position. A Fullerton needed purpose in his life! A fine education with the strong potential for a military career afterward seemed a perfectly acceptable and honorable alternative to a supernumerary son. The business came first of course.

Farragut was widely believed to be one of the best schools in the Core, and certainly the best military academy on Osiris. Markus took to the military discipline easily, being a fairly obedient child and seeing the drill and ceremony as an elaborate game of sorts. The rigorous studies were another matter, however, as Markus hadn't been particularly fond of his lessons back home even if it was just with a private tutor. But over the course of eight years Markus absorbed all Farragut threw at him: History, literature, mathematics, and the sciences (perhaps to a lesser extent).

From Farragut, Markus entered the &amp;quot;real&amp;quot; academy on Osiris, and began his education and training as an Alliance officer. The eight year preparation at Farragut made the transition for the following four years easier, and soon he left the academy with a commission and a command in 2505.

And then came the War.

Markus was a commissioned officer in the Alliance military who'd spent more than half his life in Osiris military academies... but Markus wasn't from Osiris. Markus wasn't even from the Core. He'd grown up on Boros and most of the Fullerton's &amp;quot;empire&amp;quot; was out in the Rim. It was no mystery which side they'd support. The business came first of course.

It was a tough decision, but homeworld ties and the arguable illegality of the war pushed Markus to quickly resign and abandon the last twelve years of his life. He came home to Boros and easily found a commission now as a captain in the newly formed 3rd Boros Volunteers.

Markus distinguished himself in the war not so much by his own ingenuity or courage (not that he particularly lacked either) but simply by his experience being trained in Alliance military doctrine and the fact that he was trained at all when so many other Browncoat officers were amateurs. The 3rd Boros Volunteers saw more victories than most Independent units during the war. From '06-'09 they were on the warpath taking the fight to the Alliance and reinforcing their fellow Browncoats.

But then the war started to turn. It had never been sunshine and roses to start with, but as the war dragged on the numerical and industrial superiority of the Alliance was now apparent. Even if every Browncoat took out two or even three purplebellies before falling himself, it wouldn't be enough, and things were even worse when it came to ships. The 3rd Boros Volunteers were recalled back home to defend a nervous planet, so Markus spent the next year garrisoned and waiting for an attack that wouldn't come.

In '11 orders finally came down as the last ditch hope for victory was developing on Hera. The now Major Fullerton was sent with his unit to Serenity Valley in a desperate attempt to reinforce allied troops there, but the fight was ultimately hopeless. The unit suffered enormous casualties, especially when compared to their earlier successes in the war. Markus himself was remarkably unscathed and lasted until the order to law down arms and submit to detention in an Alliance POW camp. Fortunately the war itself didn't drag that out longer than necessary.

At age 27 Markus found himself on the wrong side of unification. His whole life he'd trained to become a military officer and now the Alliance wanted nothing to do with him. He wasn't just a rebel in their eyes but a traitor as well. What was a man who knew nothing but war to do?

For the past six years Markus has drifted around the 'Verse from job to job and planet to planet. Now Markus isn't broke or desperate in the traditional sense. He has more money than some people might even think exists. Despite backing the wrong horse in the war, the Fullerton business is as strong as ever (nothing sells aluminum better than a good old arms race). He doesn't work for the family business but that doesn't mean he was cut off. No, Markus is desperate for purpose in his life and wanders the 'Verse in search of it.

Other Notes

Markus dropped his family name and adopted the surname &amp;quot;Porter&amp;quot; (and associated forged documents) after the war in order to distance himself from the Fullerton name. It wasn't a problem at school or even during the war when nobody cared, but in the Rim and especially with the economic downturn of recent years it's not a good name to have whether it's beggars or kidnappers, no one wants to be recognized as an extremely rich man. Oh, and it probably helps protect the family should anyone ever want to pull the old &amp;quot;threaten your loved ones&amp;quot; card.

OOC

Violence: So long as it's not nauseatingly detailed

Erotica: Fade to black

Contact: PM

2517, The Unification War has been over for a decade and Miranda is still a secret. Into The Black is an Alternate Universe Firefly & Serenity fandom roleplaying game. It centers around independent crews of different ships which travel all over the 'verse created by Joss Whedon.